Archive for November, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving! I wish for all of you a day full of love, laughter, and lots of good eats!

GirlieView Definitions

Lizzie = A funny, timely quote made on the VFTB site by our writers or commenters.

Lizard = The best Lizzie.

MVL = Most Valuable Lizzie’er: The person with the most Lizzies in the period under review (usually the past two weeks.)

Top 10 of the 2013/2014 Offseason = The folks with the most aggregate Lizzie points YTD (1 point for every Lizzie, 3 points for every Lizard.)

As you already know, this is all completely subjective and according to my whims.

Lizzies

it could signify that the front office sees Wellington Castillo as a long-term piece.

“Would you like to make that a combo?” is what Seymour is used to hearing from his waitress.

What frustrates me is the fact that people in this fan base get attached to a player for whatever reason and then fail to see when that player hurts the team by being a part of it.

I want to consistently root for my team deep into October year in and year out.

I am for any move that makes the Cubs better but the greatest game of baseball is such an intricate game the definition there in of ‘better’ is open for debate.

A Cub fan goes into every year knowing we aint gonna win! So we latch onto a player(s) to make the season bearable.

Of course, if the Cardinals trade for him, he’ll probably never miss a game again.

Kirkus Reviews, a leading American book review for more than 80 years, called it an “entertaining, fantastical adventure” and a “well-paced, delightful children’s book with a moral that’s clear without being heavy-handed.”

I read the first sentence, “The Cardinals look to remain the class of the NL Central’, and just couldn’t go on.

If it makes you feel any better, I had about as much fun writing that sentence as you had reading it.

I’m not sure I’m ready for names like “Stryker” yet.

Stryker belongs in a rotation with Balfour. A Stryker can only make a Balfour better.

Arismendy (my favorite prospect first name) Alcantara

Lizard

Not a rumor: MLB will be instituting NFL-style replay challenges next season.

Shout Outs

Congratulations to Noah and Tom C for winning their first off-season Lizzies this time around.

MVL

Congratulations to Sean Powell our Most Valuable Lizzie’er for the second time in a row!

Top 10 of the 2013/2014 Offseason (one point for each Lizzie, three points for the Lizard)

Slim pickins this week on the Lizzies, so I’d better come up with some chit chat. What are you doing today? Cooking? Eating? Watching football? Making a step-by-step map-based shopping list for Black Friday? All of the above? Say hello and let us know!

If you missed the news late yesterday afternoon, the Cubs made a trade with the Kansas City Royals. In a deal that was essentially the equivalent of a waiver pickup since it was player for cash, the Cubs acquired the services of George Kottaras.

He’s a former 20th round pick by the Padres in 2002 and will be 31 this upcoming season. Based on what is currently in the system, we could be looking at out backup catcher. His stats are not pretty, posting a career .214 / .324 / .406 slash line. What you do like to see is the gap between the average at the on base percentage. It’s always encouraging when you see that 100+ point difference there because you know he has the ability to judge the strike zone and draw walks.

I dug up the old John Sickels prospect handbook and found this scouting report written in 2006.

“Kottaras’ 2005 campaign was a fine follow-up to his breakout ’04 season, where he played very well in A-ball but also appeared on the international stage as a member of the Greek Olympic baseball team. Returning to the US in ’05, he continued to to develop offensively, honing his strike zone judgement while keeping his power output and batting average at strong levels. His OPS in the California League was +6 percent, but it increased to +11 percent after his promotion to Double-A. I think he projects as a .260-.285 hitter in the majors, with 10-15 homers a season and a nice on base percentage. Kottaras has a strong arm and good mobility behind the plate, although his footwork can be a problem sometimes, inhibiting his throwing. Still, his glove is good enough for him to start if he hit as expected.”

It doesn’t appear that he’s reached that ceiling, and I think Cubs fans will realize quickly how good we had it last year with Dioner Navarro as the backup catcher since he was essentially a starter filling that role. This seems like a move to fill the position with another veteran on the cheap and hope he hits well enough to be serviceable. It also gives the job to Castillo for sure.

There is a fair amount of BS in talk about professional sports. The vast majority of player interviews are the same meaningless clichés we’ve heard a million times. At the beginning of every season, every team that has no real chance of winning, including the most recent Cubs teams, talk about how every year is sacred. There is little truth or meaning to learn from these conversations.

But one recent figure of speech is true in the world of big money sports: windows. A window is a period of time that a team legitimately competes for a title. Windows close when teams can’t afford their good players anymore, or their good players get old, or they will go over the salary cap. The franchise quarterback in football can make windows last the better part of a decade, but even those end. The lack of a salary cap in baseball can allow big spending teams to keep windows open a long time, but even the Yankees are likely to be facing a rough couple of years. Sometimes a window closes much more quickly than expected due to injury.

And yet, in just over a year, a team and a player have spat on their windows. In 2012, primed for the playoffs and arguably the best team in baseball, the Washington Nationals front office decided to shut down Stephen Strasburg, one of the best pitchers in baseball and their ace, for the last month of the season and the playoffs. The internal thought was that the Nationals were on the front end of their window, and would be right back in the playoffs in 2013. The Nationals got off to a bad start, and missed the playoffs. Their window remains open, they have the resources to keep it open, but they gave up their best chance at a World Series to this point.

Last season, the Chicago Bulls knew they would be without Derek Rose, one of the best players in basketball, for most of the season due to a torn left ACL in the first round of the 2011-2012 playoffs. The Bulls surprised in the season, gaining the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference and getting to the Eastern Conference semifinals against the eventual NBA champions, the Miami Heat. Team doctors cleared Rose to play late in the season, but Rose chose to sit out the whole season, not fully confident in his abilities coming off the knee injury. The Bulls would make one more run with their current core this season, the clear last year of a four year window. Then, in the twelfth game of this season, Rose tore the medial meniscus in his other knee, and he was declared out for the season after surgery Monday morning. The Bulls’ current window is closed, and they’ll likely have a couple years of retooling around Rose before they can make another run.

So what does this have to do with the Cubs? The entire Theo Epstein/Jed Hoyer plan is to open up a long window through the establishment of one of the best farm systems in baseball. While the window is closed, the Cubs can take their time with player development and injuries. Once the window opens, though, the cliché becomes truth. When the window opens, every season becomes sacred because that window can close very, very quickly.

CHICAGO– The Chicago Cubs today announced several members of manager Rick Renteria’s major league coaching staff for the 2014 season as well as new appointments in scouting and player development leadership roles.

Jaron Madison, who joined the club as director of amateur scouting on August 10, 2012, has been named director of player development, replacing Hyde in that role. Matt Dorey, who this year worked for the Cubs as a national and regional crosschecker, has been named director of amateur scouting.

Bosio, 50, returns for his third season as the club’s major league pitching coach. Overall, this is his third stint as a big league pitching coach, previously coaching in the majors for Tampa Bay in 2003 and Milwaukee in 2009. A veteran of 11 big league seasons, the former righthander worked as a special assignment pitching coach in Seattle’s system from 2000-02, including a stint as Triple-A Tacoma’s pitching coach, before joining Lou Piniella’s staff in Tampa Bay. Bosio has also served as a pitching coach in Milwaukee’s farm system and as an advance scout for the Brewers.

Hyde, 40, enters his third year in the Cubs organization and begins his second stint as a major league bench coach, previously serving as bench coach for Jack McKeon and the Marlins for 1.5 seasons from June 23, 2010-2011. Overall, Hyde has 11 years of coaching experience, including nine seasons in the Marlins organization, following a four-year playing career in the White Sox system from 1997-2000. Hyde joined the Cubs organization in December of 2011 as minor league field coordinator and was named director of player development on August 29, 2012.

Jones, 53, joins the Cubs as third base coach and infield coach after spending the last 11 years in the Padres organization, including the last seven as minor league infield coordinator. He has one year of major league experience as the first base coach for Oakland in 1998. Jones has 15 seasons of experience as a minor league manager, earning four minor league manager of the year awards. He originally signed with the Cubs as a non-drafted free agent in 1982 and appeared in 897 minor league games.

Mueller, 42, joins the Cubs for his first full season as a major league hitting coach. The 2003 American League batting champion served as interim hitting coach for the Dodgers in the second half of the 2007 campaign. Mueller joined the Dodgers front office following an 11-year playing career with the Giants, Cubs, Red Sox and Dodgers, finishing with a career .293 batting average, .373 on-base percentage and nearly as many walks (543) as strikeouts (only 571 in 4,886 plate appearances). Mueller spent the last six seasons as a special assistant in the Dodgers front office.

Strode, 55, returns for his eighth season as Cubs bullpen coach and his 26th year in the Cubs organization. Prior to his current role, Strode spent 11 seasons as the organization’s minor league pitching coordinator (1996-2006), two seasons with the big league club as a pitching assistant (1994-95) and five seasons as a minor league pitching coach (1989-1993). Strode pitched professionally in the minor leagues for nine seasons (1980-88) in the Kansas City, Baltimore, St. Louis and Cubs farm systems.

Borzello, 43, enters his third season with the Cubs with an expanded role of catching and strategy coach. Prior to joining Chicago, he spent four seasons (2008-11) with the Los Angeles Dodgers as their bullpen catcher, a stint that followed 12 years in the New York Yankees organization starting in 1996 (roles included bullpen catcher and batting practice pitcher). Overall, Borzello has 18 years of experience with three major league clubs.

Brumley, 51, joins the Cubs as assistant hitting coach after spending the last four seasons as first base coach with the Seattle Mariners. A veteran of part of seven major league seasons, Brumley began his big league career with the Cubs in 1987 and later played for Seattle (1990), Boston (1991-92), Houston (1993, 1995) and Oakland (1994). Upon retiring, Brumley spent 13 seasons as a minor league manager, field coordinator and instructor from 1997-2009 before joining Seattle’s major league staff in 2010.

Castro, 55, joins the Cubs as quality assurance coach after spending the last 25 years as a minor league hitting coordinator or hitting coach in the Kansas City, Seattle, Florida, San Diego and Montreal organizations. He also served an interim stint as Seattle’s major league hitting coach in 2008.

Font, 36, returns for his 20th season in the Cubs organization, his third at the major league level. Prior to joining the big league club, he spent three seasons as the Cubs minor league infield coordinator. Font played in the Cubs system for six seasons from 1995-2000 before becoming a Single-A Daytona staff assistant in 2001. He served the Cubs as a minor league manager, hitting coach and coordinator from 2002-11.

In a chat over at FanGraphs, Dave Cameron mentioned that if the FA process drags out for Robinson Cano (and the price drops) “a smart team like the Cubs will jump in and sign him.” I’m sure Theo and Jed appreciate the comment, but MANY (most?) teams would be in on Cano if there is a significant price drop. Cameron also thinks that a good number for a Shark extension would be around 5yrs/60 million.

The Dodgers have an extra outfielder. Would one of Matt Kemp, Andre Either, or Carl Crawford make sense for the Cubs? The only one I would consider would be Matt Kemp IF he comes with a significant injury discount (dude is awesome, but always hurt). Some team(s) will pay full price for him, no doubt, so I don’t see the Cubs landing him. It wouldn’t be smart to overpay for someone with his injury history, IMO. The upfront asking price would have to be palatable, and the Dodgers would need to kick-in some significant salary relief.

The Cubs added Dallas Beeler and Arismendy (my favorite prospect first name) Alcantara to the 40-man roster, thus protecting them from the Rule 5 draft. Beeler really pitched his way onto the roster this fall, and he has all the physical tools you want (6’5”, mid-90s fastball). I’d look for Beeler to make a play for a bullpen spot this spring. It has been confirmed that Juan “mystery man” Paniagua is not eligible for the Rule 5 draft, so he didn’t need to be added to the 40-man for protection.

Our favorite topic: the proposed renovation of Wrigley Field. The Chicago Plan Commission approved the latest plans (which include bumping out the right field outer wall) and a proposed arch sign over Clark Street (which would take the place of the proposed-but-DOA pedestrian bridge).

If you’re like me, you enjoy trivia. There is something about rolling on at home Jeopardy that just makes you feel like king of the dorks. Today we give you that opportunity with another edition of Name That Prospect.

RULES – I give you the scouting report from an old prospect handbook in my closet and you have to identify the prospect they are talking about. Your only clue is that the player in question has ties to the Chicago Cubs organization. No other hints. Put your guess in the comments and I’ll reveal tomorrow.

“I had some suspicions about how ____________ would do at higher levels, based on his somewhat shaky strike zone judgement. I thought he could lose some points in batting average and OBP, but I didn’t think he would totally suck like he did at Daytona (OPS -6 percent). He knocked 16 homers, but otherwise he was ineffective. I have yet to hear a completely satisfying explanation as to why this happened. There was no obvious health problem. His strikeout rate wasn’t that high. My friend Jim Callis of Baseball America theorizes that _________ panicked after a slow start and tried too hard to hit for power, inhibiting his production across the board. This fits in with what Florida State League observers say, and is as good an explanation as any, although I’m not sure it’s the whole story, as ____________’s K-rate actually improved somewhat compared to 2004. Usually when a guy freaks out, lengthens his swing, and tries to hit the hell out of everything, his strikeout rate spikes. It’s important that _____________ gets his hitting back in gear, given that he doesn’t offer much in the way of defense. My guess is that he will stabilize somewhere between his ’04 & ’05 numbers.” ~ John Sickels

I mentioned the other day that it was my goal to begin to discuss more related to the roster construction in the next week. That starts today with a look at where the current roster stands.

As it stands right now, the Cubs currently have seven guaranteed contracts on the books: Starlin Castro, Gerardo Concepcion, Kyuji Fujikawa, Edwin Jackson, Anthony Rizzo, Jorge Solar, and Carlos Vilanueva. Aside from that, the roster is wide open from a flexibility standpoint.

Ten players are arbitration eligible, which means they can either work out a long term deal, work out a short or even one year deal, or take things before a judge to determine a one year deal. If none of those options are appealing, the team can simply part ways with them. The list of players eligible includes an estimated amount they would be due

Looking at that list, I could easily see the Cubs simply parting ways with Darwin Barney, Daniel Bard, and Darnell McDonald. The rest will be back with this team next year and most if not all will be back on a one year deal. The wild card is Samardzija. I have no idea what his future is with this team, but I would lay even odds on if he’s a part of it on opening day.

The list of players is not incredibly long right now so there is a lot of room for growth. We’ll get into possibilities I see in the coming days, until then, our friends over at Inside the ‘Zona have a post going up today talking about Samardzija. As of this writing, it’s not posted, so you get a sneak peak. Be sure to stop by their site later today and say hello and give feedback.

This trade is not so much of a leap because of the rumored conversations this year at the deadline and again recently. The sticking point in negotiations over the summer is said to have been Archie Bradley; we don’t want Bradley moved in a Samardzija trade, and we don’t think Towers will actually do that. But Chicago will certainly want prospects back. Would they take Matt Davidson? Doubtful; they have Kris Bryant as a long term answer, as well as Mike Olt, who was acquired over the summer from the Rangers in the Matt Garza trade (and who loses a lot of his value if he’s moved off third base). Complicating matters at third even more is that former top prospect Josh Vitters is still banging around, that Chicago may want to try out Mat Gamel this year, and that top shortstop prospect Javier Baez may need to get moved to the hot corner eventually.

Baez is also a reason why Chicago may be unwilling to cash out some of Samardzija’s value in the form of Owings, especially with Starlin Castro installed at short for the foreseeable future. Still, we think Nick Ahmed may be a fit, because he’s certainly going to stick at SS (his manager at Mobile recently said Ahmed was one of the best shortstops he’d ever seen), he’s priced appropriately in this trade, and Ahmed’s floor might be as a utility infielder (which is still helpful).

Chicago is also set in the long term in the outfield, at least with good defenders who might not have the bat to match (probably ruling out A.J. Pollock). We do think that Adam Eaton is the type of player Theo Epstein is likely to covet – that may be why we’re hearing the name Nate Schierholtz (as part of a swap for Samardzija that includes Eaton, we’re guessing).

We prefer trading Pollock to St. Louis to trading Eaton to Chicago, however, and in Tyler Skaggs the D-backs may have a way to keep Eaton while still landing Samardzija. Skaggs’s star has fallen since mechanical issues (staying too tall) hurt his command and velocity this season; the risk that he never gets fixed does discount his value, but in the trade above Arizona would still be getting about 75 cents on the dollar. Stryker Trahan helps Chicago get to where they want in terms of value, although he is several years away from the majors. Zeke Spruill may not add a lot to this trade, but as roster filler with a bit of upside, Chicago could try him out in a few different roles until they figure out what they have.

The National League Central was the best division in the National League in 2013, and the only division in baseball to send three teams to the postseason. But what can we expect of the Cubs’ divisional rivals in 2014?

St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals look to remain the class of the NL Central in 2014, with the only significant likely free agent departure being Carlos Beltran. Some think they could try to bring back Beltran, but with high ranking outfield prospect Oscar Taveras waiting in Triple A, Beltran apparently looking for a longer term deal (he rejected the Cardinals’ 1 year/$14 million qualifying offer), and Beltran better suited for a an AL team where he can be a part time outfielder/part time designated hitter, my feeling is that Beltran won’t be a Cardinal in 2014.

The only massive hole on the Cardinals’ roster is shortstop. Pete Kozma can’t hit at all, Daniel Descalso can barely hit any better and certainly can’t play shortstop, and none of the Cardinals’ players who can handle second base (Matt Carpenter, Kolton Wong) would be serviceable shortstops.

One of the top rumors on the early off season hot stove has been the Cardinals’ search for a better shortstop, with their top target being the Rockies’ Troy Tulowitzki. Tulowitzki has long been viewed as the most talented shortstop in baseball, but he’s had problems staying on the field for the last few seasons and has a very expensive extension starting up soon. Of course, if the Cardinals trade for him, he’ll probably never miss a game again. Reportedly, the Cardinals are willing to part with some of their young pitching for a shortstop, but I kind of doubt that this sort of match will actually happen. The Rockies would likely demand a king’s ransom in young pitching and other prospects for Tulowitzki, and it just would not fit the Cardinal M.O. to trade two of Shelby Miller, Michael Wacha and Oscar Taveras for a guy with a contract the size of Tulowitzki’s.

Rumors popped up regarding Starlin Castro as someone the Cardinals could target if they can’t get Tulowitzki. I would suggest just ignoring those. The Cubs would not sell low on Castro to the Cardinals, and the Cardinals aren’t giving Miller or Wacha for Castro. My bet, along with many others, is that the Cardinals will trade someone like Lance Lynn for someone like the Angels’ Erick Aybar.

Without a large amount of turnover, a very solid core, great young pitching, and a strong farm system, unfortunately the Cardinals are likely to stay atop their perch as the best team in the Central in 2014.

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates finally delivered on their promise of “up and coming team” in 2013, not only breaking their two decade long streak of finishing under .500, but making the playoffs and bringing eventual NL pennant winner St. Louis to the brink of elimination in the NLDS. The Pirates have one of the best players in baseball in NL MVP Andrew McCutchen, and some nice players around him in Starling Marte, Pedro Alvarez and Neil Walker. They also have one of the most promising young starting pitchers in the Majors in former number one pick Gerrit Cole, along with one of the best farm systems in baseball. Jameson Taillon, a great starting pitching prospect and the number two pick from the 2010 draft, headlines the system.

With that said, I doubt the Pirates will match their 94 win season in 2014. This is not because I question whether the Pirates are actually greatly improved, but instead because so much of their success was due to a phenomenal bullpen performance. Just ask the Orioles how predictable that is from one year to the next.

The Pirates do have some holes, with the most glaring being first base and right field. I would o’t be surprised to see the Pirates try to platoon in right field, but there are not that many great options at first base. Mike Napoli would be the best option, as a good player who will not get crazy money. However, the Pirates would lose their first round pick if they signed Napoli.

The Pirates should still compete for a Wild Card at the least, and should continue to improve over the next few years as more of their prospects reach the Majors, and more of their young talent moves into their career peaks. The Pirates’ question in the short term is if they can continue plugging the holes in their lineup without breaking the bank. The question in the long term is if they will be able to retain enough talent as their young players get older and more expensive. But the Pirates are for real and, for the next few years at least, should be a consistent contender.

Cincinnati Reds

Following the 2010 season, the Reds filled a similar position to the current Pirates. They overachieved in winning the NL Central, but had some great young players with upside, headlined by Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Johnny Cueto, and a still strong farm system continuing to feed the Major League team. But the Reds show the limitations of most smaller market clubs. With Votto, Bruce, and Brandon Phillips all signed to long term deals for big money, the Reds’ ability to add payroll is limited.

This is a problem because the Reds have a lot of players approaching free agency. Shin-Soo Choo is gone, and unless Billy Hamilton can reach base they have no in house replacement. Homer Bailey hits free agency after 2014. Aroldis Chapman likely will as well, as the Cuban flame thrower will likely reject his $5 million player option for 2015. Johnny Cueto, Mat Latos and Mike Leake are all set to hit free agency after 2015. In other words, in the next 24 months the Reds will have five of their best pitchers hit free agency, have no one internally who can replace them, and will be lucky to be able to retain more than two of them in the free agent market.

A relatively barren farm system amplifies the Reds’ problems. The Reds built their current team off a previously great farm system, but that well has now run dry. The Reds’ window is closing, and over the next two years they will have to make a hard decision: continue trying to make a run before these players hit free agency, or try to turn some of those soon to be free agents into young, cost controlled players and prospects.

Barring injuries, the Reds should be competitive again in 2014. Beyond that, the decline is likely to begin soon.

Milwaukee Brewers

It has not been easy being a Cubs’ fan the past two years. Our Major League team has been awful, but at least we could dream on a strong, and improving, farm system. The Brewers do not even have that.

Now, I’ll admit that I think the 2014 Brewers have at least an even shot at being better than the 2014 Cubs. Ryan Braun will be done with his suspension and should be healthy. On its own , that should bring at least four or five wins to the Brew Crew.

The Brewers’s problem is that they lack much help for Braun, who they have a huge amount of money devoted to for a long, long time. Rickie Weeks has been a shell of his former self over the last two seasons. Aramis Ramirez just went through an injury filled season. Yovani Gallardo disappointed last season, and has never reached that true number one status.

The Brewers are the epitome of the logic that a team is not better off winning 75 games than 65 games. There are exceptions to this statement, but an aging team with a bad farm system does not fit any exception.

The Brewers are also hurt by Braun’s status as wholly untradeable due to the aforementioned suspension and contract. The Brewers had a nice little run from 2008 to 2011, but that window closed once the Brewers got off to a slow start in 2012, and it will likely be a fairly long and bumpy ride back to contention for our neighbors to the north.

Semi-Shameless Non-Baseball Related Plug

My father recently wrote and self-published a children’s book, Journey to Galumphagos. I could tell you how much I enjoyed, but you’d understandably say I’m biased. Instead, I’d like to let you know that Kirkus Reviews, a leading American book review for more than 80 years, called it an “entertaining, fantastical adventure” and a “well-paced, delightful children’s book with a moral that’s clear without being heavy-handed.” Kirkus liked it so much that it selected Journey to Galumphagos for publication in its print magazine, which is sent to more than 5,000 industry professionals.

I threw a simple tweet out this morning that caused me to realize why I get frustrated with the Cubs fan base more than any other fan base of a team I root for. I simply mentioned that Darwin Barney was a potential non-tender candidate, since he is arbitration eligible this off-season. Instantly, I had a few people reply via tweet and comment on Facebook that they felt that would be a mistake.

Rather than debate on if I agree or not (I don’t), I wanted to share my frustration with you. What frustrates me is the fact that people in this fan base get attached to a player for whatever reason and then fail to see when that player hurts the team by being a part of it. For me, as a kid, it was Rey Sanchez. I saw him and thought he was a building block. For a lot of folks it was Ryan Theriot for either an infatuation with him as a “grinder” or an infatuation with him from a physical standpoint. Whatever the reason, we suddenly put our Cubbie blinders on and fail to think bigger picture.

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of watching a loser. I’m tired of checking out on the season come August. I want to consistently root for my team deep into October year in and year out. This week I want to take a look at the team as it’s currently constructed to see where we stand. In the meantime, let’s drop some links and prepare for our week.

John Heyman put up an interesting rumor that perhaps the Cubs and the Marlins would consider w0rking on a prospect trade. You don’t see it too often, but there are times when teams will make a major trade involving nothing more than prospects. The Marlins are loaded from a pitching standpoint and the Cubs are the opposite, with quite a bit of offensive talent, particularly at the third base position. It’s an interesting thought, but it’s tough to just swap guys you brought in the organization for other prospects. I think the pitching is coming along in the organization. We’re seeing some arms emerge near the top of the prospect rankings so it’s just a matter of those guys continuing to develop.

Kris Bryant was named the winner of the Arizona Fall League MVP. He engaged beast mode the entire time he was there and when the dust settled, he led the league with home runs (6), slugging percentage (.727), extra-base hits (15), runs scored (22-tie), total bases (56-tie) and a 20-game on-base-streak. He also hit .364, fifth best in the AFL, and was second in doubles with eight. In the past, both Jason Dubois and Sam Fuld won the award representing the Cubs. Let’s hope Bryant’s career doesn’t go the same path as those two.

CAPS called for news about fat people the other day so I figure I will deliver. In case you missed this story on Deadspin last week, Tony Picard is a beast of a running back for his high school team. He checks in a 6’4″ and 400lbs.

Dateline: Michigan – A man has purchased the home right next to his ex-wife and has erected a giant middle finger display just to remind her how much he cares.